Alabi interview with Eric Smith

June 28, 2011, 4:23 PM

There has been a lot of talk in recent days about the Raptors top pick in last week's NBA Draft, Jonas Valanciunas.

It's not yet known if Big V will be in Toronto in time for next season but if his buyout cannot be negotiated in time, Bryan Colangelo has said that he's comfortable leaving Valanciunas overseas for at least a season or two to work on his game that much more.

And in the meantime, it's not like the Raptors are thin in the front court. Amir Johnson, Ed Davis, and Andrea Bargnani will continue to get the bulk of the minutes at the four and five and there's nothing stopping Colangelo from going out and snagging a center (in spite of drafting Valanciunas) via trade or free agency.

However, a name that has flown under the radar a bit is Solomon Alabi.

After being used sparingly in his rookie season, there may be an opportunity for Alabi to do more in T.O., in year two. In fact, many fans have messaged me on Twitter and Facebook, referencing David Thorpe (from ESPN) and his comments that Alabi has the chance to be better than Miami's Joel Anthony (for example).

I recently caught up with Alabi and asked him about his off-season and what he's working on to get himself ready for next season.